Voters in 3 Massachusetts locations cast casino ballots

Tuesday

Nov 5, 2013 at 4:02 PM

Bob Salsberg, The Associated Press

BOSTON - Voters in three Massachusetts communities headed to the polls on Tuesday to help decide the fate of two proposed casinos.

In East Boston and Revere voters were weighing in on Suffolk Downs' proposed $1 billion casino at the thoroughbred racetrack. Favorable votes were needed before Suffolk Downs can apply to the state's gambling commission for the sole eastern Massachusetts casino license.

Mohegan Sun, which has operated a casino in Connecticut since 1996, is vying for the only western Massachusetts license and was asking voters in the town of Palmer to sign off on a host community agreement for its proposed $1 billion casino and entertainment complex just off the Massachusetts Turnpike.

Turnout was expected to be brisk in the East Boston neighborhood, where in addition to deciding the fate of the proposed casino voters were also choosing between City Councilor John Connolly and state Rep. Martin Walsh and in the race to succeed retiring Boston Mayor Thomas Menino.

Chip Tuttle, chief operating officer for Suffolk Downs, said Monday he was "very optimistic" despite a cloud cast by the track's decision last month to sever a partnership with Caesars Entertainment, the company it had selected to operate the casino. The move came after Suffolk Downs was briefed on concerns raised during the gambling commission's background check of Caesars.

The track has promised to select a new operator before the end of the year.

Suffolk Downs has not been profitable since 2005, Tuttle said, an indication that the future of the facility could well hinge on the outcome of Tuesday's votes.

"If we are not successful, we will have to face up to economic realities," he said.

Opponents of a Suffolk Downs casino fear it would worsen traffic congestion and hurt small businesses in the tight-knit East Boston neighborhood.

Celeste Myers, co-chair of the group No Eastie Casino, said the withdrawal of Caesars has added to uncertainty among voters.

"You're asking us to fly blindly," she said.

Supporters of the Mohegan Sun proposal say it would be a catalyst for an economic revival in a town that has seen its traditional jobs base vanish in recent decades.

"We're certainly not going to get back the manufacturing jobs we once had," she said. "We need something that's going to help revitalize our community," said Jennifer Baruffaldi, spokeswoman for the pro-casino Citizens for Jobs and Growth in Palmer.

Casino opponents like Bill Hayden, who has lived in Palmer since 1990, say the Mohegan Sun development would shatter the town's rural character.

"I moved here because it's a small town, everyone knows their neighbors," he said. "If we wanted a big city, I could move to Springfield or Boston."

The final say on casino licenses rests with the gambling commission, with decisions possible by mid-2014.

MGM Resorts International, which won voter approval for a proposed casino in Springfield in July, is also competing for the western Massachusetts license. The two other potential contestants in the eastern region are Steve Wynn, who has proposed a casino in Everett, and Foxwoods, which also operates a casino in Connecticut and hopes to build another in Milford.